The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 166. Tommy Full of Question Marks Ch 166. Tommy Full of Question Marks

Three days.Finding a kidnapped person on Glass Island with only a name as a clue—Tommy couldn’t fathom the difficulty.

Killing the shadow demon-possessed Alastair to rescue Aiwass seemed, ironically, simpler. A clear target meant a clear approach. What Tommy feared most was a problem with no starting point.

His emotions churned—regret mixed with fear, resentment laced with uncontrollable rage.

He’d always known targeting Aiwass was risky. If Aiwass had joined him, Tommy would’ve protected him fiercely, treating him as a core ally. But Aiwass sided with Boca.

Boca didn’t hide his ambition. Given the chance to surpass Tommy, he’d strike. For Tommy, ordering the hit was about survival.

His mistake was letting jealousy and anxiety cloud his judgment. He could’ve used subtler methods, but Boca’s pressure made him rash.

Killing Aiwass would weaken Boca, letting Boca take the blame while Tommy cut ties with the Lloyd Society, resigning blamelessly. Even if the hit failed, it could drive a wedge between Aiwass and Boca, reducing Boca’s influence or even swaying Aiwass to Tommy’s side.

After all, Boca suggested the attack. Tommy merely stressed Noble Red’s disapproval, pushing Boca to go all-in. From his perspective, he’d done nothing wrong.

Reviewing it endlessly, Tommy still saw no flaw in his plan.

It was just bad luck.

How could he predict Grand Arbiter Meg would intervene over this?

Aiwass was just the Moriarty family’s adopted second son, like Tommy himself. A talented foster son, sure, but with an older brother and younger sister, the family wasn’t at risk of dying out. Old Moriarty’s death didn’t stir Meg—why did Aiwass’s disappearance?

At eighteen, Aiwass was only first-tier, with decent grades but no academic works, research, or inventions.

What made him untouchable? Why did Meg, of all people, pressure Tommy for him?

It was unthinkable.

Meg hadn’t meddled in politics for years—five, nearly ten—avoiding actions that could destabilize Avalon’s Round Table. Even during the royal family’s cursed deaths, she stayed out. Assuming she’d retired from action was reasonable.

But regret was useless now. Her “Final Arbitration,” the ultimate Authority Path Word of Power, had cursed him. Not even Transcendence Path curse-breakers could undo it—it wasn’t a curse but a delayed Word of Power, akin to a contract.

As Lloyd Society’s president and Avalon Merchant Union’s head, Tommy held sway. The Round Table had about 120 members, with 70-80 regularly attending. He indirectly funded over 50—two-thirds of regular attendees—through bribes. The Inspectorate kept them from colluding, unaware of each other’s ties to him, making betrayal unlikely.

Pushing unfavorable laws was tough, but ambiguous ones bent to his will. With Meg loyal to the Queen, the royals following the Round Table, and the Round Table under his thumb, Tommy was the underground emperor, twisting national policy at great cost.

Knights knew recent laws favored merchants, so even the Inspectorate hesitated to touch Lloyd Society.

Smuggling dangerous goods? Someone always tipped him off. Overzealous Inspectors? Calls jammed his line for half an hour.

Meg was right—no one else dared touch him, but she did. Her strength was beyond Round Table influence; knights would turn on him if he targeted her.

But why was she acting now? Was she nearing death, settling affairs?

“I hope she dies soon,” Tommy cursed venomously under his breath.

After long thought, he started making calls from his office.

The first was to Vice President Boca.

The phone barely rang before Boca answered, clearly waiting by it.

“Mr. Boca,” Tommy said gravely, “about last night’s incident. Care to explain?”

He knew Boca didn’t kidnap Aiwass—Boca had no motive. But that didn’t stop Tommy from making him a scapegoat. To mobilize the Round Table against Alastair, he needed someone to take the fall.

He couldn’t risk being implicated himself.

Boca’s face darkened on the other end. His Transcendent intuition caught the malice and threat in Tommy’s tone.

“What’s that, Mr. Lloyd?” Boca shot back, unyielding. “Here to gloat?”

Tommy was taken aback by Boca’s hostility.

Normally, Boca would back down. Stern and steady on the surface, he was deeply cautious, even cowardly. His investments, even with insider tips, were conservative. Before Noble Red meddled with Lloyd Society, Boca was a known coexistence advocate.

Back then, Lloyd Society, led by Prince Lloyd, plotted to seize the throne. Now, half a step from success, Boca hesitated.

He believed merchants couldn’t govern a nation. United under the Round Table and royals, they’d fracture over profits if they seized power. Maintaining the status quo—enjoying privileges without responsibility—was ideal.

Boca favored Du Lac rule for stability, as did many Round Table knights, tired of Avalon’s rules but wary of drastic change.

They wanted freedom, but only a little.

To Tommy, this was betrayal.

Merchants seizing the throne was unthinkable to the public, especially for a half-giant with cannibal blood. Only overwhelming pressure—like Star Antimony’s threat—could force acceptance.

Boca’s stance leeched off Tommy’s efforts. Those wary of Tommy’s extremism found Boca’s moderation appealing, driving them to his side the harder Tommy pushed.

This was why Tommy saw Boca as an enemy to crush.

His giant blood boiled with rage. He’d wanted Boca dead multiple times but lacked certainty of a clean kill. If Boca escaped, things would spiral. That’s why Boca lived.

Yet, despite Tommy’s exposed killing intent, Boca followed orders, sending stronger forces—like the blade and lash demons—to attack Aiwass.

A blade demon, third-tier but capable of defeating fourth-tiers, paired with a lash demon and hounds, could overpower multiple fourth-tiers. Its relentless pursuit made escape futile, its obsession deadly in one-on-one fights.

When Boca sent the blade demon, Tommy thought he’d truly abandoned Aiwass. His refusal to break with Tommy seemed pathetic, laughable weakness.

But now, Boca was defiant.

Tommy was full of question marks.

Too much didn’t add up.

Why did Meg act? Why was Boca suddenly bold? Where did this shadow demon-possessed Alastair come from?

(Chapter End)